As Pagan’s we are hopefully overall more interested in environmental issues that threaten Mother Earth, and again hopefully we are all doing our bit to save her, however small. Because of that I won’t make this blog all about those environmental issues as I’m sure you are all aware of them, I’m more interested in what people are doing for Earth Day, and what changes they are making in their lives every day to save Mother Earth.
Earth Day falls on April 22nd every year. It’s a day when billions of people all over the world act to raise awareness of environmental issues and do something to make a difference.
What I didn’t realise until I did a bit of research, is that the first Earth Day was held on April 22nd, 1970, in the United States, long before most people were even aware that we were facing such environmental problems.
Earth Day grew in popularity and in 1990 it eventually went global across 140 countries.
In 2020 Earth Day celebrated its 50th anniversary with over 100 million people around the world doing their bit to save our planet.
The theme for 2022 is ‘Invest in our planet’ and they are encouraging everyone -businesses, governments and the general public to act now to save Mother Earth.
So, what can you do? Below are some ideas, but if you are doing anything different or have any other ideas, please let me know in the comments below.
If you go on the earthday.org website, there is a map of the world which can be moved around to find your area. Just click on one of the coloured dots nearest to where you live, and it will bring up details of different events that are going on.
There are lots of ways that anyone can make a difference. If you can’t do anything physical there are petitions on the Earth Day website against deforestation, to protect endangered species and others focused on the Earth’s most pressing issues that you could sign.
Try to cut down on buying plastic products, particularly single use plastic.
The fashion industry is responsible for 8% of greenhouse gases, and that is even before you look at the damage cheap fast fashion causes. Switch to sustainable fashion or buy second hand.
Make the swap from commercial toiletries and cleaning products that are full of chemicals that damage our environment and our health. There are so many alternatives these days that are so much better for you, you can even make your own cleaning products, recipes can be found with a quick google search or on You Tube. The Kitchen Witch Blog also has some wonderful recipes for these too!
I highly recommend reading ‘The Joyful Environmentalist’ by Isabel Losada. It’s a fabulous book about one woman's journey to go green and is packed full of ideas that I hadn’t even thought about before.
* Pick up litter in your area, my tip is to always carry some gloves when you're out and about.
* If you don’t already, recycle in your home, workplace or school.
* Plant a tree.
* Avoid using pesticides in your garden.
* When you leave a room, turn off the lights and unused plugs.
* Try to cut out some of your local car journeys and walk, cycle or use public transport.
* Plant wildflowers and other native plants that will encourage bees and butterflies.
* If you have a garden leave an area to grow wild.
* If you are not vegetarian or vegan, try to eat at least one meat free meal a week, and before you pull a face, chips are vegan :)
The earth doesn’t need everyone to be perfect environmentalists, but if everyone just made a few small changes in their life every day, not just on April 22nd, it would make such a difference to our planet and give a chance to future generations to live healthy and sustainable lives.
“To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash.” – Bill Nye
